Alpine Citizens Unite vs. GUHSD Bond Projects' Fiscal Dishonesty

Alpine - The Alpine High School Citizens Committee (AHSCC) released  to the press an announcement that the "Our Future" link at http://alpinehighschool.net, San Diego County Office Of Education (SDCOE) has formally recognized the Alpine Unification Petition as complete. The Registrar Of Voters has certified that enough of the over 4,000 total collected petition signatures are valid to make the effort successful, as announced at the February 25, 2014 meeting of the AHSCC. This is a citizen's initiated unification pétition effort to convert the K-8 Alpine Union School District to a K-12 Alpine Unified School District, which would then include a local Alpine area high school.

The SDCOE Board is expected to act on the now official unification petition at their March 12, 2014, Board Meeting. This action by the SDCOE will establish a 60 day window for two required public hearings regarding the Alpine community citizens unification petition. One hearing would be held within the AUSD, and the second held within the GUHSD, because each District must host a meeting within their own boundaries. It is understood that at each, the SDCOE Board will conduct and administer the public hearings.

 The Alpine community is hopeful that the Blossom Valley community will join in and support this effort. Blossom Valley is not within the AUSD boundary, they are in the Cajon Valley Union School District for K-8. BV now attends the GUHSD for public high school, as does AUSD. The GUHSD disregarded BV to be included as an option area to attend the Proposition H (2004) and Proposition U (2008) funded and promised 12th new GUHSD high school. The 12th GUHSD high school was prioritized in the summary ballot statements of H and U, totaling almost $1 billion to improve and make safer high school education for all East County families.

12th HS site land was purchased, architectural drawings were completed, and submitted to the CA Department of State Architecture (DSA) for approval. A GUHSD Board action sent the 12th HS project plans to the CA DSA. All fees for such we're paid to the DSA, in advance by the GUHSD.  The 12th HS project plans were withdrawn by the GUHSD from the DSA approval and review process by it's Superintendent, Mr. Ralf Swenson. This was done without receiving prior GUHSD Board action permitting this withdrawal action.

The SDCOE hearings are prerequisite to Alpine's official unification to include grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. The AHSCC has asked to commence discussions with the AUSD Board and the Superintendent concerning a unified approach to the two hearings that will be called by SDCOE. The AHSCC goal was said to be not only to obtain a high school for Alpine, it is also to strengthen the entire AUSD, and to unify the Alpine community. The AHSCC Chairman, Sal Casamassima said, "We look forward to working with the AUSD in achieving these objectives."

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